Dan’s Daily: Canadiens Choke; Kings Accuse Oilers; Penguins Needs

The Eastern Conference playoff race could have ended Monday, but the lowly Chicago Blackhawks denied the Montreal Canadiens a ticket to the dance, and the Columbus Blue Jackets have life. Things turned ugly in the West as the banged-up Edmonton Oilers gooned it up in a preview of their Round One matchup against the LA Kings, injuring Quinton Byfield in the process. And Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan’s comments Sunday laid bare the team’s biggest problem, but can or will general manager Kyle Dubas act?

I was again honored (or tasked) with voting for the NHL awards this week. I finished my ballot last night. It wasn’t as agonizing this season as last year, largely because Lady Byng and Selke were much easier the second time around.

I won’t share my picks yet. There are sports betting odds and all kinds of reasons why I cannot or should not share yet, but I will admit to being influenced by public perception on one of the awards. I chose my Hart winner based on my true preference, but I wasn’t crazy about the depth on my Hart ballot. I would have liked to put Matthew Tkachuk on the ballot, but his injury in the Four Nations tourney took him off the list.

For the same reasons, if Brady Tkachuk is at all available this summer, Dubas must go for it in a big way. For all of the skating evolutions, stickhandling inventions, analytics, and offensive renaissance, the game still comes down to blood and guts players. See also: Sidney Crosby.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins don’t have the heart to defend. They don’t make the conscious choice to do the hard things, as Sullivan surely alluded to on Sunday. We put the team under the hockey microscope. Their biggest issue is, and the bigger question is, what will Kyle Dubas do about it?

Steelers Now: It’s a quarterback league, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently without a starting quarterback. That’s a problem, eh? Our intern, Jobe Morrison, snapped off a pretty smart column. Yeah, the Steelers need to draft a QB even if he’s a gamble, and they need to keep doing it until they get it right. The Steelers draft talk is heating up.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The fanboys were insufferable last week. Paul Skenes had the first not-so-great start of his career, and people criticized him?! Skenes returned to form as the Pirates won, but it was the magic of Andrew McCutchen’s necklace that is the story. Yep, the necklace sparked the Pirates’ offense.

NHL News & Notes

TSN Video: During the second intermission Monday, Philip Danualt flatly accused Edmonton of running out their “B squad” and trying to hurt people. He has a point. They got Quinton Byfield, and LA was not happy.

Montreal Hockey Now: So close. It went to the shootout. If the Habs win, they’re in. They did not. Les Habitants inched closer. Ivan Demidov got his first NHL goal and assist, but here’s the full story of coming up short and agonizing over it for the Montreal Canadiens.

San Jose Hockey Now: Unfortunately, the national guys jumped the gun a bit. I know that our Sheng Peng was being respectful and letting the player choose his time, but the cat is out of the bag. Logan Couture will retire. It’s a big loss and a big goodbye for the San Jose Sharks.

Vegas Hockey Now: It’s happened before. The Stanley Cup has taken up residence in the desert, and a couple of primary factors made it happen. This time, there’s one BIG thing the Vegas Golden Knights need.

Philly Hockey Now: Podcasters and Russian reporting folks are reporting that Aleksei Kolosov will bolt back to Russia, leaving the Philadelphia Flyers.

Sportsnet: After drama filled seasons, and a trade between, what is next for the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers? Will they get over the drama, or do they need a clean sweep?

Boston Hockey Now: Fabian Lysell looked pretty darn good Sunday against the Penguins. After waiting … AND WAITING … for his turn in the NHL, he’s making it count, and Andrew Fantucchio noted why Lysell looks like a good solution for the Boston Bruins.